An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle - Book Review

An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle

Julia Bird Mysteries #1

Publication Date: 05th May 2022 

4 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining! 

*****

Julia Bird moves to a Cotswolds cottage in a small English town after her recent divorce and retirement. She feels a bit lost, not knowing what to do with her sudden free time. Julia soon decides on a pet project (raising chickens and taking care of the beautiful garden), only to end up with a dead body on the premises. 

She has no choice but to put her plans on hold until the identity of the body and the killer are found. If only it was that easy! In the meantime, Julia tries to befriend the villagers, adopts Jake, the cutest Lab in the size of a small bear, and begins to get used to country life. But when she stumbles upon another body, she decides it’s time to do her own investigation. 

Can Julia find the killer and prevent more dead bodies from creating feverish excitement in the little village? 

My Observations: 

• The book begins on a quirky note tinged with humor and sadness. The lighthearted tone continues through the rest of the book (a trademark of good cozy mystery). 

• Jake is super adorable. Though I’m sure I can’t handle a pup like him, I love his antics in the book. Such a sweetheart! 

• Being the first book in the series, the characters are revealed over time. This also means I continued to assess the information longer than I liked. Not a complaint, though. 

• Julia is an interesting character and likable. She does a good job of keeping me engaged with the story. I like her teaming up with DI Hayley and look forward to reading more mysteries. 

• The villagers are just as fun, even if some have been more of caricatures. Since this is the first book, I can’t dismiss character development yet. 

• Little Sebastian is another cutie pie. I loved his scenes, even if he was a brat at times. That’s where the fun lies. ;) 

• There is some rambling, but it doesn’t go on for more than a couple of lines. I’m almost used to it by now. 

• It’s such a surprise to read that the book is authored by a duo, Katie and Gail. They have collaborated before, and it shows. No jerks in narration. 

• As with every other cozy mystery set in the English countryside, we get to read about endless cups of tea. Oh, well… 

To sum up, An English Garden Murder is a great start to a new cozy mystery series, and I intend to continue reading every subsequent release. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #AnEnglishGardenMurder